Seven-time champion Lance Armstrong will ride in the 2009 Tour de France having announced in September that he was ending his three-year retirement from cycling, CNN reported.
American Armstrong had already said he would compete in the Giro d'Italia for the first time but had voiced safety concerns ahead of a possible Tour return.
"I'm committed to riding for the best guy," Armstrong said Monday, acknowledging the taxing schedule could leave him riding in a supporting role in France.
Armstrong is scheduled to race the 100th anniversary edition of the Giro from May 9-31 while the Tour de France starts on July 4.
"If you've been away for three or four years, it would be silly for anybody to think I could pick up where I left off," Armstrong told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Tenerife in the Canary Islands where Astana are training.
"I can tell you I feel better than ever, I feel stronger than ever on December 1. How that translates to racing, we'll have to see. Mentally, in terms of motivation, this feels like 1998-1999 to me."
Armstrong's decision to ride gives the powerhouse Astana team a superstar lineup in France, including 2007 Tour winner Alberto Contador.
He missed last year's race because Astana was barred from riding for previous doping violations. Also riding with Astana is Germany's Andreas Kloeden, American veteran Levi Leipheimer and top support rider Yaroslav Popovych.
